We love decking our home with the best smart home devices. They enable us to control our appliances with our voice, have the lights and the heating just so when we get home from work, and help us monitor our homes, even from afar. Not only that, but they help us save energy and change the way our rooms look without requiring a single splash of paint.
To create a smart home, you’ll need a smart home hub like a smart display or speaker. Some of these only work with certain smart home ecosystems (like Google Home, Apple HomeKit, or Amazon Alexa), but an increasing number support the Matter standard, which is designed to make it easier for smart home devices from different companies work seamlessly with one another.
Many of these devices feature a voice assistant, which interacts with you as you make commands to adjust a device or get an update on the weather. With smart home tech, you can minimize the energy consumption of your smart lights by having them turn off automatically at certain times of day (or just change color for ambiance). You can upgrade your safety with the a home security camera or smart lock, and you can even turn some of your not-so-smart devices into smart ones using a smart plug or switch.
The best smart speaker for you will depend on your chosen smart home ecosystem. All of the options below offer good sound quality and excellent speech recognition, though if you’re looking for audiophile quality then you might want to check out something like the Bose Smart Speaker 500 instead. Take a look at our complete guide to the best smart speakers for more details.
The best smart speakers
Alexa smart speaker
Amazon Echo (4th Gen)
Best smart speaker for Alexa
The best smart speaker for an Alexa-based smart home setup, the latest Echo is more responsive than ever and offers improved adaptive sound. During testing we were impressed by just how much it offers for a very reasonable price. Connecting and controlling smart home devices is a piece of cake, too.
Read our full Amazon Echo (4th Gen) review
Smart speaker for Apple
Apple HomePod mini
Best smart speaker for Apple Homekit
If you’re invested in Apple’s ecosystem, the Homepod mini is the smart speaker for you, boasting excellent sound despite its tiny size. Controlling smart devices isn’t as easy as with the Echo (our tester sometimes had to repeat themselves) but hopefully Apple will soon show it some love by polishing the experience.
Read our full Apple Homepod mini review
Smart speaker for Google
Google Nest Audio
Best smart speaker for Google Home
The Google Nest Audio is super responsive when it comes to voice commands, and during testing we were very impressed by how easy it made controlling other Google smart home devices. It’s well suited to the kitchen or bedroom; sound quality isn’t spectacular, but is enough to fill small spaces.
Read our full Google Nest Audio review
The best smart lights
Smart lights can be controlled using voice commands, motion sensors, or programmed automations, and opting for colored ones means you can easily set the mood for parties, gaming, or to help you unwind at the end of the day. These are three of our top-rated options, but our full roundup of the best smart lights includes lots more bulbs, strings, and panels.
Everyday smart light
Philips Hue Color Ambiance
Best everyday smart light
Philips Hue is the biggest name in smart lightbulbs, and for good reason. They’re a breeze to control, work with all the major smart home platforms, and color reproduction is excellent. You need a Wi-Fi hub to use them, and they aren’t cheap, but for us they’re the best around.
Read our full Philips Hue review
Budget smart light
Govee Wi-Fi LED Bulb
Best budget smart lights
If Hue is outside your budget, Govee’s color-shifting smart lightbulbs are a good alternative – and they connect directly to your Wi-Fi network without the need for a separate hub. They’re compatible with Alexa and Google Home, though our reviewer noted the colors aren’t as bright as Hue bulbs.
Read our full Govee Wi-Fi LED Bulb review
Smart party lights
Govee Curtain Lights
Smart party lights
Govee’s curtain lights really make an impact, and although we particularly enjoyed using them during holidays, they can add a touch of fun to your home all year round too. You can set them to different colors, make animations, and even use them like a giant screen to display images on your walls and in your windows.
Read our full Govee Curtain Lights review
The best smart thermostats
The best smart thermostats make it easier to control the temperature of your home using physical controls or voice commands, allow you to schedule heating and cooling, and even learn your preferences over time so your home is always at the optimal temperature and energy use is optimized.
Thermostat for Google Home
Google Nest Learning Thermostat (Gen 4)
Best smart thermostat for Google Home
Google’s latest smart thermostat uses AI to suggest ways to optimize your energy use, and thoroughly impressed us with its sleek looks and smart scheduling that made it easy to keep each room at the optimum temperature. It’s only available in the US for now, but will hopefully roll out more widely in future.
Thermostat for Alexa
Ecobee Smart Thermostat
Best smart thermostat for Amazon Alexa
Ecobee’s thermostats have a minimalist design, and are easy for beginners to get to grips with. This model works similarly to Google’s Nest Learning Thermostat, but is built to work with Amazon’s smart home ecosystem instead. In fact, it has an Alexa smart speaker built in.
Budget thermostat
Drayton Wiser
Best budget smart thermostat
This smart thermostat is one of the most affordable options around, but still has an impressive set of features including compatibility with Alexa and Google Home, support for smart radiator valves, and open window detection. At the time of writing it’s only available in the UK, though.
Read our full Drayton Wiser review
How to choose the best smart home devices for you
Building your smart home from scratch is a big process, and there are a few things to consider before diving in.
First, decide which voice assistant would suit you and your household the best. Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s HomeKit each have their pros and cons, and you should be aware that not all smart devices integrate with all assistants. So, if you already have a preference or own some smart home devices already, that will ultimately feed into your choice.
For example, if you already own a Ring doorbell, then you might get the most out of an Alexa-led smart home. Similarly, a Nest security camera will always work most seamlessly with a Google Assistant. This can be in the form of a smart speaker or display. Again, our guide on what to consider when designing your smart home should be able to help you identify the ideal smart home system for you.
Also, think about installation, and if you can install them yourself, such as smart light bulbs, or whether they need a professional to visit your home, such as smart thermostats, or if you’re considering smart electrical sockets, for example.
Finally, check whether you need to invest in a smart home hub to make the devices work together or whether any smart speakers or smart displays you already have in your home can do this job for you. Alternatively, online services such as IFTTT can make some compatible devices work together to perform particular automation without the need for a hub at all.
This article is for informational purposes only. Product features, pricing, and availability may vary by region and change over time. The links included in this content are only for reference and convenience. We recommend checking the official brand websites or trusted marketplaces before making any purchase.
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